Elsewhere, U.S. soldiers discovered more than 2,700 mortar rounds near an abandoned Iraqi army base south of Kirkuk Nov. 27.

Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division's 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, and explosive ordnance disposal experts began the task of unearthing the weapons from a mound in a field. Iraqi and U.S. forces are securing the site and preparing to excavate the rest of the field in search of more weapons.

This cache alone has yielded as much explosive material as the brigade had gathered in its area over the past two months, according to the on-site EOD team.

In the air war over Iraq, coalition aircraft flew 46 close-air-support missions Nov. 27. These missions included support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities and operations to deter and disrupt terrorist activities.

In addition, 15 U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Iraq. Also, U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft performed in a nontraditional ISR role with their electro-optical and infrared sensors.